Attempted Kidnapping in Surra
March 3, 2007
Must Read !!!
This is an eye opener for all you young ladies out there, and you lads too.
Thanks to The Six-K Club I have been in an extremely fit mood lately. I’ve been working out with the group once or twice on a weekly basis and have been inspired to go for a walk and sometimes even a run on my own time almost every day.
So on Thursday evening after having an amazing “im6abag hamour” (a traditional Kuwaiti rice and fish dish) for lunch with the family, my sister and I decided to go for a walk even though we didn’t over do it with the rice. We got in the car and decided to go somewhere different as a change of scenery; we headed to the Surra walkway (Mamsha).
The strange thing was that I had a hunch before heading there and told a friend the day before that I feel uncomfortable going to Surra and walking alone. I thank god I decided to stay home and do DDR instead. While I was driving to Surra I was explaining to my sister how I felt the night before and she comforted me by telling me many ppl go there and it’s safe. She then began to joke around with me and said that she’s never heard me say “afraid” of anything let alone a pathway that’s quite busy with local runners and walkers from around the area. But it was my hunch that I was more afraid of than the idea of the walkway.
We parked after a number of odd events occurred on our short route to Surra which made my hunch seem like it was being realized and these small incidents were simply foreshadowing a greater purpose. We warmed up and walked half the distance and on our route back to cross the zebra crossing and continue walking the other half of the walkway we suddenly heard the loudest most terrifying screams ever. We stopped. Tried to see what was happening. And there she was, a young lady, in her mid 20′s small framed and petite, dressed in her sports attire and a head scarf was jumping , screaming and crying at the top of her lungs right by the road side. Without even an utter my sister and I instantly ran to see the girl and try to help. We thought she got hit by a car while crossing the road. Yet we realized the cars were moving, and if they stopped they just did so out of curiosity; some runners went by her and didn’t even stop to assist her (typical bystander affect). When we finally approached her, I placed my hand on her shoulder while she continued to scream, shake and tremble in fear. The instant my hand touched her shoulder she startled back, told me off for touching her while pushing my hand away. Yet, as she looked up to see my face and my sisters, she started to weep and realized we came to help. My sister and I continued to give her hugs and held her hand while repeating “ismila 3alaich” so she would calm down and catch her breath. When my sister asked her “what is wrong ? tell us so we can help you. Can we take you home ? Can we call your family ?” all the girl said was: “He grabbed me ! a stranger ! And tried to take me !”
This young lady was walking in Surra, expecting to meet her cousin in a few minutes to join her in her workout, and just in those few minutes a strange man came behind her, grabbed her, wrapped his arms around her firmly lifting her away. At first the young lady thought it was her cousin playing a prank on her but when she looked back and realized it was a frame of a man she started to scream and kick. The man was reaching into his pocket to take something out and the brave girl found it in herself to fight even harder. The instant she was loose he ran into the bushes and into the residential area between all the houses. She, on the other hand, went to the road side and screamed for help in horror.
Moral of this post ?
Don’t walk alone !
If you must walk alone then please keep in mind the following :
- Even if you are waiting for a friend to walk with you, then don’t start without them, as this lady did. Make sure you meet at the right time or wait in your car/house till they reach you.
- If you chose to walk alone make sure it is during the day, in an extremely open area that is busy with other walkers/runners. Try to stay away from quiet walkways in secluded areas that are poorly lit and heavily lined with bushes and trees.
- Do not blast your iPod’s or music too loud.
- Clip a small bottle of pepper spay or mace on your sports gear.
- If anything does happen then scream and fight back to let them know you are strong and not letting in.
If you can not walk during the day or do not have a walking/running partner, please join us at The Six-K Club, a running/walking health awareness club where everyone is welcome, girls and guys, young and old, fit or not; the more people the greater the motivation.
p.s.
I’m not in any of the 6k pics for all you that kept wondering and asking which one I am :P
I’m usually behind the lense or hiding somewhere :P
wow, that’s scary :/
i’m proud of u working out though lol it was a good thing u were around to help the girl..
ya36eech el 3afya :D
my god, the stories i hear happening in kuwait these days!
its scary- allah yr7am ayam awal when these things were unheard of.
ya36eekom el3afya inshallah oo allah ya7feth eljamee3
[...] Just read about how this girl nearly got kidnapped in Surra on Diigmaa’s blog. Pretty scary, you can read her post [Here] [...]
Damn,
3ad I enjoy walking alone :-(
Shouldn’t there be some sort of a police presence there?? it should be demended by the residents of surra in order to keep people safe, and keep order there. One policeman is not too much too ask.
oh damn
bas i think the guy knows her, i dont think someone will risk doing something like that in such a public place
anyways be safe
thats even worse if the guy knows her,…
no excuse for such messed up behaviour.
and a self defense tip, keep your keys in your hands, they will rip up flesh quite nicely if ever attacked
Damn now thats insane! I suggest walking with a friend at all times! I would have wanted to beat the bastard to a pulp! I wish they really put these guys in their place! 7amdilla she was ok!
And the 6-K Club is a very good idea, my hat goes off to Jasim for putting it together!
woOow…thats soo freaking scary!!! yea…i’ve been hearing more and more of these stories lately. The Kuwait Police is now on the look out for an Eygptian accused for raping and kiddnapping 5 boys and girls! He is still on the lose.
God..another tip you should add.
(GIRLS go buy yourselves rottweilers..the best protection!)
omg!! the horror!
was he the m7ashish dude!! lol
i think its him, totally like him, to just grab ppl
this is soo strange!
why these things happening in kuwait?
where not used to this at all!
thanks for the heads up 7bebty
and u did a gr8 job with the girl
ur like super digma :***
love u loads. and from now on, ull be my running partner :*
This country is not turning good at all. God have mercy on us
daaaaaaaaaaaamn that is scarry
maybe while walking you should have paper spry or something
that’s scary :/
but i hope my mom doesn’t read this because that means i’ll be doing nothing this summer :p
Allah ya7fithnaa Kilinaa inshallaa o yab3id 3anna el shar
damn.. i gotta say those mamshas look kind of shady in the evenings.
honestly i only feel 100% safe when i run at the sci center; there are always people around and it’s well lit
i was grabbed & hit by a perv in mamsha & i was with a friend!
it took me 2 years before i could walk again in the street, and now i either walk very early or walk with a friend and i’m very aware of my surroundings and wont go to dark places where someone can hide and i don’t let anyone get close to us.
why she didnt go to the police station and till her story to the police ?
God this is unbelievable! what is happening with people all around q8 they just wanna kidnap and rape girls boys kids whatever that is moving! el 7emdella wel sheker ,, alla ya7fethna, i mean the poor girl i dont thing she would’ve thought that this will happen to her in a public place like this! and yeah our moms better not hear of that story :P
god bless u for helping her.
Walkways should be cleared by sunset. The place gets so dark and quiet during the night that anything could happen without much notice.
woah yala il7imdila marat 3ala 5air this time. 3ad is it me or is crime on a rise in kuwait =/ shisalfa last time my friend igool they saw a sayara sha56a o another car behind it . 30 mins later the person chasing the other car asks my friend if theyve seen where that guy went galoola la2 o asked shilsalfa wila yi6la3 ina this guy kan tawa yay ibyi6la3 min bait-hum wila he sees wild yeeranhum i7ach a7ad ibsayara o he gives them his mobile 3abala they wanted to make a fone call faj2a they try to drive away bes the kid was mitchalib bil telefone so they stabbed him! o drove away o this guy shafhum fa he chased them!
wala min mita o its this bad =/ ?
After reading this…Kuwait 9arat 3an Jad en5are3!!
BTW Diigma have you checked? Your blog is #2 spot as the fastest growing blog in wordpress…great job ^_^
that is scary :/
I see you in the pics; You have this distinctive feature. . .
Kash sha3ar yamby!
Ahhh i always walk alone.
Not anymore!!!
Madry laish thikart ur story about the guy that stole ur phone
Zoqaaa :****
You`ve put on weight
is she alright? what a trauma
I have heard in some places they give women buzzers to carry. One that makes a loud screeching noise equivalent to scratching metal. It used to scare off attackers and used to be the trend for a while .. I guess people started feeling safe and the gadget died out.
Omg! 3ad its a crowded place. Honestly though mamshas are scary. I’ve seen my fair share of weirdos at mamshas.
I don’t understand why people dont help though :( that’s even worse!!
I’m so glad you helped her out. That was so sweet of you.
Great post, DiiGMaa. And very cool that it has gotten such hi vis outside Kuwait, too. And that the 6K club got some great press from your post. Your post did a lot of GOOD, as painful as the experience was, and as difficult as it must have been to write about.
Allah el7afeth, o matshof shar :l Yeah it is pretty bad sometimes, and thank you for the post.. I’m sure it provides at least some awareness you know. And whats wrong with ppl not stopping and asking what the matter was with the girl screaming! What a world.. honestly..
OHHH MY GODDDDDD shinoo hathaaa are we still in kuwait i cant believe it what a world i cant even imagine that can happen in kuwait it was a good thing you helped out good job
Thats so scary! Wala maskeeena allah i3eeenha …. I wish Kuwait would do something with the crime rate that is on a rise! Kil ma agra il kuwait times or arabtimes lazim ikoon fee “rape” story
Bas wayed min il mamshas ikhar3oon … especially bilail, not enough lights and shady ppl hanging out!
3amity was telling me ena ehya oo rayelha always walk in mamsha il surra oo fe maraa kila tamshy hnak oo kil ma she walks past them tig3ad itsib oo itgool alfaath bathee2a … and one day rayel 3amity ask her shfeeha shino salfat-ha chan i6ali3la sacheena